Local Government & Politics
Norfolk wants $30 million from feds to begin overhaul of St. Paul's public housing
By Ryan Murphy
Three public housing communities east of downtown Norfolk, seen in the foreground and left side, could be demolished as part of a planned overhaul of the area. (Stephen Katz)
The city will seek a $30 million federal grant to help with the first phase of redevelopment in the St. Paul's area. But first, Norfolk will need more concrete plans on what it will do there.
Progress on those detailed plans has been slow, to the frustration of the community and some council members.
The city and the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority have said every one of the 4,200 current residents will have somewhere to live after nearly 1,700 units of public housing are torn down.
Paul Riddick, who represents the St. Paul's area and has been a vocal critic of the plan and the process, complained that so far there hasn't been a serious effort to answer where those residents will end up.
Susan Perry, who oversees poverty reduction and community initiatives for the city, acknowledged the frustration and said this grant process would get the ball rolling on detailed planning for the redevelopment effort.
"There's been a lot of concern around us starting this plan without a concrete plan in place," Perry said. "This will be the start of the master planning process."
During a meeting last week, some members of council pointedly asked Perry about those concerns.
The grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development would help the city tear down the 618-unit Tidewater Gardens neighborhood and replace it with new mixed-income housing.
At an estimated $12,000 per unit in demolition costs, just tearing down the 64-year-old brick apartments in Tidewater Gardens will cost north of $7.4 million.
The $30 million ultimately will be a drop in the bucket, NRHA executive director John Kownack said.
Preliminary projections for the Tidewater Gardens overhaul would be at least $250 million, he said. And over the next decade, the overhaul of the whole St. Paul's area likely will cost more than $1 billion.
"Whether we get this or not, it pushes us forward. Otherwise, we'd be at a standstill," said deputy city manager James Rogers.
The grant submission is due in September and requires the city to have a detailed housing replacement plan and financial analysis, which it doesn't currently have.
The city is seeking a "housing lead," essentially a developer who would helm the first portion of the redevelopment effort and kickstart the planning process, and will likely select one in the coming weeks.
This fall, the city will seek a master developer to oversee the full project, including the Calvert Square and Young Terrace neighborhoods.
A map shows the 200-acre area east of downtown Norfolk where officials hope to replace 1,674 public housing units with new homes, businesses and parks. (City of Norfolk)
In the meantime, the city is waiting to hear whether the area will be designated an Opportunity Zone, a new federal tax incentive program meant to push private investment in neighborhood redevelopment.
During a visit to Norfolk in April, HUD Secretary Ben Carson said St. Paul's would likely win the designation.
The first buildings are supposed to start coming down in Tidewater Gardens in 2020.
Demolition of all three communities is expected to take a decade .
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Before that, the city is supposed to have a series of programs in place to help the residents of St. Paul's as they transition out of the housing complexes where some have lived for decades.
Called "People First," the effort is meant to provide financial education, training, employment support, and health and wellness services. Norfolk has earmarked $3 million annually to fund the programs.
The city recently issued a "request for information," essentially asking groups to tell them what services the city should be providing.
Later this summer, the city will look to contract with a group to help them construct a framework for the services and put them into place.
Ryan Murphy, 757-446-2299, ryan.murphy@pilotonline.com
Tidewater Gardens
Nrha
Kownack
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